Zlatan Backs up Big Talk with Hat-trick Masterpiece at LA Derby

​Article by: Zach Henley

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Since 2018, no other player has been more exciting to watch in the MLS than Zlatan Ibrahimović. Zlatan was known for his amazing goals and prestigious accolades in European leagues and that has certainly transferred over to the US. Since his debut, Zlatan has played in 44 games and has scored 38 times. A Swedish-native, he is the all-time leading scorer for the country and has made over 100 appearances for the national team. Maybe his best accomplishment, he has won the “The Golden Ball”, which is an award for Swedish players, an astounding 11 times.

With Zlatan coming to America, the hope was that he would give the MLS more viewers and ultimately help the sport gain traction in a very baseball and football-dominated country. What better place to have this happen than the city of Los Angeles? Perhaps maybe the biggest sports city in America, the LA Galaxy jumped all over the opportunity and decided to acquire the star from Paris Saint-Germain.

With the MLS gaining more fans every year, the idea that a star European player has chosen to come to America to play, has made the sport even more appealing. One of the biggest games of the soccer season is the LA Galaxy going against the LAFC. Zlatan put on a show against the cross-town rival, scoring a hat trick and adding style points to every goal. The prolific striker easily dismantled LAFC’s defense and helped the LA Galaxy capture the win. After the game, Zlatan was asked about a playoff mode and he stated, “I am always in playoff mode.”  A couple of days before the match, Zlatan was trash talking the league and saying the competition wasn’t nearly as hard as it is overseas. After “El Trafico”, he backed up his talk with an unbelievable performance and managed to keep talking.  

Overall the signing and the play of Zlatan has proved that soccer is a major sport and is becoming more popular in the US. With being 37, Zlatan hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down, but just how long will the outspoken Swedish striker continue to play?

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